Jigu
Eun He : Golden Deluxe 20 (KO,1976,re.1991)**°°
airplayed : Tr.1, 4 min
This is a 20 track best-off compilation of Eun He's early albums. Clearly a romantic vision is playing part here. Eun Hee's soft folk voice surely is convincing. On the earliest tracks you can hear a convincing and honest melancholy. On later tracks, the general Korean tendency to put a few extra spoons of sugar into the romanticism with tendencies to make adult lullabies can be heard here too, but still within acceptable terms. Most tracks are founded on and are also just voice and acoustic guitar, with only sparse other arrangements like organ, lush strings or some trumpet, oboe or clarinet, some electric bass and soft drums. A few cover interpretations were added too, like a convincing acoustic guitar and voice only version of Everly Brothers “All I have to do is dream” (7), or “melody d'amour” (by The Ames Brothers, from which a later better version by the Lennon Sisters is a better comparison for the track choice; this was also sung by people like Paul Anka, and might have been most known, -I am not sure-, by the version of Ray Conniff Singers), here with two extra male vocalists, with organ and flute (14). Further we have a mellow acoustic version of Doris Day “Que Sera Sera” (16). The last short song track features some yodelling arrangement in the track. This compilation shows very well how an honest and innocent fragile melancholy could easily turn towards a more predictable and even kitschy sugar rich mainstream area, with safe cover versions, in this case something real was still happening.
Description of Tiliqua of first album : "Great Korean female folk record recorded and released in May 1972. This was her 2nd and best record she ever released. The whole albums dwells in some ethereal realms, dreamy and mellow, carried by Eun Hee’s soft-gliding female vocals, underscored with beautiful arrangements, full of and brimming over with subtle pastoral romance. Her voice is bewitchingly beautiful, making the music as a finished product to some unforgettable moments. Some other tracks are accompanied by male voice, giving Eun Hee’s escapades a nice counterweight as well as being backed up by some cheap organ lines that only add to the magical feel that oozes out of this disc. Great female Korean folk album, original 1972 pressing and in top condition. Highly recommended for female folk aficionados."
